Effects of Er,Cr:Ysgg Laser on Microleakage of a Self-Etch Adhesive System

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this in-vitro study was to evaluate the microleakage of a self-etch dentin adhesive system in cavities prepared by a conventional dental bur and an Er,Cr:YSGG laser. Materials and Methods: Forty extracted premolar teeth were selected randomly. Standardized Class V cavity preparations were placed in the buccal and lingual surfaces using a bur and an Er,Cr:YSGG laser. Eighty preparations were randomly assigned to 4 groups of 20 samples each and restored as follows: (G1, Control group) Bur; (G2) Bur + Laser etch; (G3) Er,Cr:YSGG laser; (G4) Er,Cr:YSGG laser + Laser etch. The cavities were restored with a self-etch adhesive system (GC, Unifil Bond) and composite resin (GC, Gradia). The preparations were sectioned buccolingually into three parts and scored for microleakage using a light stereoscope. The data were analyzed with Mann-Whitney U test, and Chi-squared test was used for comparisons across groups. Results: In all groups, there was higher microleakage in the gingival margin than in the occlusal margin. In the control group (G1), the lowest microleakage values were obtained in all the cavities. In comparison among the groups, statistically significant microleakage values were obtained in the occlusal margins. Significantly high microleakage was observed in G4 in comparison to G1 and G3 (p = 0.001, p = 0.003). Conclusions: Preparation and etching by using an Er,Cr:YSGG laser does not decrease microleakage, but this may also be due to the properties of the self-etch adhesive. Further clinical research and long-term follow-ups are needed to analyze the findings in more detail.